Iowa’s Mason: Big Ten has no intent to fire coaches
Kirk Ferentz, or any other Big Ten coach, isn’t likely to be fired by conference commissioner Jim Delany.
That’s the word Friday from University of Iowa president Sally Mason, chairman of the league’s powerful council of presidents and chancellors, who responded to a story in the Chronicle of Higher Education that stated Delany was seeking authority to punish coaches.
“There certainly is no intent to have the kinds of things that the Chronicle described happen in terms of the commissioners’ powers and abilities,” Mason said in a telephone interview.
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Big Ten presidents and chancellors are studying a proposal that would give Delany the power to fire a coach if they do something that brings disrespect to the conference.
“(The Chronicle) had a document that was a very early draft of a document the Big Ten presidents are working on that has to do with institutional control,” Mason said. “I think (the story) got ahead of itself.”
The Big Ten emailed a response Friday to dispel the notion that Delany is seeking power usually reserved for schools and the NCAA.
“There have been several reports, stemming from an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, that reference certain emergency powers described in a draft document entitled Standards and Procedures For Safeguarding Institutional Control of Intercollegiate Athletics that has been under review by the Big Ten’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors,” according to the statement.
“The draft obtained by the Chronicle was an early draft put together by the Big Ten staff in order to surface all of the options available.
“The option of giving emergency powers to the Commissioner to fire personnel is not under consideration by the Presidents and Chancellors.”
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
